Sustainable forest management: The best firebreak after the most extreme summer

07 / 10 / 2025

On July 16, the European Commission presented the new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and the new National and Regional Partnership Fund (NRPF).

For forest owners in Portugal, northern Spain, and southern France—represented by USSE—there’s a clear message behind these initiatives: forest funding will now be decided within a broader “single fund.”

What does this mean in practice? It’s a shift in model. The CAP will now fall under the NRPF. Previously, the CAP was divided into two pillars (EAGF and EAFRD), but the Commission now proposes merging it into the NRPF, which will also include other previously separate funds (for cohesion, fisheries, agriculture, and rural areas). Only direct payments to farmers (income support) are ring-fenced. Rural development, on the other hand, will no longer have its own dedicated line and will instead compete with other priorities within the NRPF.

Each country must present an NRP Plan (National and Regional Partnership Plan) for approval by the Commission. That’s where much of the real forest funding will be decided.

Key figures at a glance:

CAP 2021–2027: €387 billion (Pillar I: €291.1 billion; Pillar II: €95.5 billion).

Proposed MFF 2028–2034: €865 billion.

€300 billion “reserved” for what was previously Pillar I (direct payments).

€565 billion allocated to what was previously Pillar II—but now shared with other NRPF funds.

When adjusted to 2025 price levels, the CAP is effectively reduced by around 30%. For the forest sector, the key will no longer be a dedicated line of funding, but rather how each Member State prioritizes forestry within its NRPF.

How much has Europe invested in forests so far?

2014–2020: €8.2 billion in forestry measures.

2021–2027: €4.2 billion (partly due to greater reliance on state aid and national funds).

2028–2034: no fixed figure yet; depends on each country’s NRP Plan.

What remains for forestry (according to the July 17 CAP proposal):

Forest-related measures are not disappearing, but rather being reorganized:

Environment and climate: continuation of agri-environmental and climate commitments.

Forest investments: continued support for investments by farmers and forest owners, linked to having a forest management plan or equivalent. For restoration, aid will apply only when at least 20% of production potential has been lost.

Advisory services, knowledge, and innovation: maintained and reinforced.

Natural constraints and mandatory requirements: specific payments will continue.

Young people and rural entrepreneurship: maximum support rises from €100,000 to €300,000.

Risk management: participation in coverage instruments remains.

Cooperation: here, some uncertainty remains. It is mentioned in general terms, but without a detailed article with funding as before—currently the most unclear element.

The key will lie at the national level. The new framework gives governments more room to decide. If forests are a priority in the NRP Plan, there will be progress; if not, they’ll lose ground to other policies. The task ahead will be to promote and propose projects with clear impact: fire prevention, active management, post-damage restoration, biodiversity, carbon, rural employment, and bioeconomy.

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